It's Just the Beginning
by AyaKagami
Summary: Noctis has feelings for Ignis but has no idea how to tell him or how to explain the emotions to himself. Ignis has always cared for Noctis but more than just a chamberlain. With a little help from Prompto and Gladio they help guide the two men to understand that they are in love with each other. How will the two come together and confess their feelings? Ignoct Tumblr challenge day


**Disclaimer:** I don't own Final Fantasy XV or any of their respective characters. I do own the story that plays out with the characters and locations in the universe. The characters and locations are property of Square Enix.

 **Author's Notes:** This is an Alternate Universe set up where they're still their respective roles but haven't been at war. Noctis and Prompto are eighteen and I altered Iris' age to two years younger than them because her being fifteen in the game and crushing on twenty year old Noct was a bit of a cringe for me. Plus she seems like she would date Prompto, thus I had an excuse to use it.

So this is for the Tumblr event celebrating the IgNoct relationship. I found out about the event on The Cult of Noctis fan page on Facebook. So each day will be a different theme. Hope you all enjoy

 **Themes: Simple- Falling in Love/ Situational- Taking Care of Each Other**

Noctis wasn't sure when it was, that he started to notice the little things about his chamberlain but he knew it wasn't recently. It wasn't a new thing for Noctis to notice when Ignis was hiding some things from him verses telling him the truth. Truth be told Noctis had noticed something was off about the sandy haired brunette for the past few days. He wasn't staying after dinner to nag him like he used to. He wasn't picking him up from school as often either. Even their training was becoming less and less of the brunette being involved. While Noctis originally enjoyed the lack of hovering over his person from Ignis, he was beginning to get annoyed by the fact that Ignis was making himself scarce. What was most shocking was when Prompto announced he was staying over, on a school night, a few days before exams and Ignis said nothing. In fact the brunette grunted, left dessert on the counter and excused himself from the apartment, causing the boys to flinch slightly at the door slamming.

Prompto hadn't said anything about it but he also noticed the way the prince was constantly eying the sandy haired brunette more and more. The way Noctis had watched Ignis with intense midnight blue eyes. The way he studied his movements while he practiced his sparring with Gladio for their training lessons. The way he would carefully eye Ignis when he cooked the meals for them every night. Prompto wouldn't say anything in front of the group but he knew he could ask Noctis what was up when they were alone. After all, the raven was more open with Prompto privately than everyone else.

So when he stood at Noct's place one Wednesday night he decided that he would help the raven haired prince figure out the emotions that he had been trying to figure out. It had gotten to the point where Noctis was beginning to lash out at Ignis and it was not fair to the older male. At least Prompto felt it was unfair. So while playing the latest Justice Monsters V installment to come out on home console, Prompto decided to bring up the older male with the prince.

"So how are things going with the work for the debut ceremony?" Prompto asked. He remembered Ignis complaining about Noctis and his lack of cooperation in working on the ceremony for him to be presented completely to the public come graduation. While they were still six months away from the ceremony, Noctis was proving to be the ever difficult prince when it came to preparations. He hears Noctis growl slightly as he lost the round due to the mention of the ceremony. "I'm asking because you clearly seem agitated bro." He put the controller down and stretched as he looked to his best friend. Noctis appeared lost in thought, as he bit the thumb nail on his right hand. "Noct?"

The raven haired young prince snapped out of his thoughts and looked at his friend, a faint blush coming across his face. "Can I tell you a secret Prompto? I mean you can't say anything to anyone, kind of secret." Prompto was slightly taken aback but nodded slowly, "Yes, you can tell me anything buddy. I am here for you no matter what." Noctis nodded before turning his head away, "I've been having butterflies…" Prompto had barely heard him before the other man continued. "It's been happening a lot lately. The butterflies I mean. I've never felt them so strongly." This caused the blonde to ask quietly, "So what causes these butterflies?" Noctis fidgeted slightly where they were sitting, the blush becoming much more crimson than he was at the beginning of the little confession. Prompto took this opportunity to get up and turn off the game console and television so that he could focus on his best friend better. "I'm here to listen," he said as he sat on the opposite side of where he was sitting. He opted to sit on the sofa rather than their comfortable bean bag chairs.

"It's whenever I'm around Ignis. I just…" the prince takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. "I always get the feeling of my stomach doing cartwheels whenever he is around. The dreams aren't helping." Prompto raised a curious eyebrow to the mention of dreams, watching how red Noctis' ears were turning. "Noct?" was all he asked before the other man continued, "They've been uncomfortable for me. I wake up in cold sweats or find myself turned on. Hell, there was even one night that I woke up a complete mess in my pants. Had to throw them away to avoid the awkward conversation with Ignis. I just… I can't deal with this anymore!" He slammed his fist into the side table in agitation. Prompto wanted to smile at the amount of emotion his best friend was showing but he knew he needed a few more details before he could focus on problem at hand for Noctis. He took a breath and looked at the raven, "So you feel butterflies and cartwheels, you find yourself having dreams, and they're all of Ignis? So my question to you is, what does Iggy mean to you? Past the friend and bodyguard thing, there's a deeper meaning to it than that." The raven haired man looked at him cautiously, "I-I think so. I think, I might be in love with him…"

* * *

Crownguard Training Hall

Ignis swung his leg at Gladio, the taller man blocking it before pushing back ever so slightly, creating the separation they needed to continue their sparring match. While Gladio was always up for some kind of training with their small group, it was a regular occurrence that Ignis was the one to take advantage of their sparring sessions, fully unleashing strength that many people didn't think he possessed. After all, at first glance, you would think Ignis was just the bookworm type that let people walk all over him. Contrary to the fact that he had a sharper tongue than cantankerous old men, cat like reflexes in combat and only a small circle of people knew that Ignis was fully trained in several different combat styles as well as weapon styles. Noctis had no idea how versatile his bodyguard on a day to day basis was. Which is why it bothered Gladio to see Ignis serve as a glorified butler to their future king. He loved Noct like a baby brother and would gladly serve as his shield but the lack of actual life skills he had bothered him. The kid was eighteen and the most he could manage on his own was nearly burning every pot and pan in his flat.

His lack of focus slightly led to him taking a strong right leg to his abdomen, causing him to keel over before Ignis struck him with a left punch causing him to go down. Ignis stopped his motion to eye the other cautiously, sweat on his brow, "You're distracted. It's not like you Gladio." The taller male laughed, "That's because of you." Ignis raised an eyebrow, "My fault?" He reached out his hand to help his partner up, "I only asked you to spar with me. How does that make anything my fault?" Gladio chuckled, "I know when you're venting. You're being more aggressive than usual. Talk to me Iggy, I know this has to do with Noct. Hell, every single time we have these ten or eleven at night sparring sessions, it's because of prince charmless." Ignis scowled slightly at the nickname causing Gladio to raise an eyebrow. "What'd he do?" Ignis wiped the sweat off his forehead before turning and sitting on one of the benches in the sparring room. He took out a bottle of water and drank it while Gladio took a seat next to him, wiping the sweat off himself with a towel. They sat there in silence, neither wanting to start the conversation.

"I'm falling for him, Gladio. I had these feelings since we met him as kids," Ignis said firmly. Gladio looked at him about to say something before he was cut off, "I know. I'm not supposed to have these feelings. He's the future king, I am his Chamberlain and it is wrong to love him because he's the prince. Not to mention we are both guys." Gladio snorted, "That shit doesn't matter. You are still you Ignis, doesn't make you any less of a person just because you're in love with Noct. Anyone would be lucky to have you love them. You're kind and honest but protective and honorable. Besides, I've kinda always known you were in love with him. He kinda caught me for a while after he lied to protect Iris as a kid." This caused Ignis to snort, "Seriously cannot believe he lied to his father's face while confessing to that. Didn't his majesty know he was being lied to?" "Yeah he did. It's his only kid and he may not seem like it but he knows him like the back of his own hand." They both laughed before Ignis turned to Gladio, "Thank you Gladio." "Hey, we're stuck together till the end when it comes to him. Just do me a favor and tell him already. If he comes in here tomorrow with that pent up rage of dealing with you being a bit of a prick to him, I'm gonna hit you in earnest." "I apologize. However I don't think I could confess that to him. He seems to have an eye on Prompto." Gladio raised an eyebrow at this, "No way. Prompto is dating my sister. They've been going steady for three months."

Ignis spit out his water at the words, "What!?" he coughed. "Yeah, he asked my permission to go out with her. Begged me to let him date her, even let me come along on their first month's worth of dates. He's a bizarre kid sometimes but he really likes Iris and although I was against it at first I can see it working out for them in the long run. So Prompto is none of your concern. If anything he's mine," Gladio chuckled at the end of the sentence. "Isn't she a bit young for dating?" Ignis asked. "Not really, we've been big on making sure she has supervised dates and she is only two years younger than Noct and him." "They are eighteen now, think they'll get with the program?" "Nope. You'll be babying him all the way till the day he marries."

* * *

The rain came down hard, creating massive puddles and drenched you to the bone. Noctis was currently running in said rain, having heard that Ignis was in the hospital from a car accident. Ignoring Cor and Monica, he ran out of the Citadel at top speed, ignoring everyone and everything as he ran out the gate to the hospital down the street from the Citadel. It was one of the four hospitals in Insomnia but this one served the crown exclusively. He knew they would bring Ignis to this hospital. He didn't bother with an umbrella or a jacket. He simply ran out into the rain, with his school uniform on but without the jacket. It took him less than twenty minutes to make it to the hospital. When he got there he was greeted by both his father and Ignis' uncle along with Gladio's father, Clarus. Noctis stopped to catch his breath before looking up to his father, the worry clear in his midnight blue eyes.

"Is he alright?" he stuttered out hoarsely. He had finally figured out his heart with Prompto the other day and was going to mend the relationship with Ignis before he received a call from Ignis' phone only for it to be his father on the line. That alone set off alarm bells in Noctis, something that he personally did not want to admit out loud to anyone. Regis looked at his son with a calm expression on his face, he knew his son was distressed. Ignis was the one that knew him the longest and had the most personal relationship with his heir after Lunafreya. Regis also knew that after what had happened in Tenebrae ten years ago still haunted his son on a great many levels but didn't confess that to anyone but Ignis' watchful eyes.

"He is in surgery," he began quietly. "They found some internal bleeding in him but didn't want to use magic to heal him on the off chance that it doesn't close whatever open wounds he has. The car that hit him was speeding already and had ate the red light. They t-boned his car and it flew several hundred feet. Add to that, it flipped. He had his seatbelt on and the airbags deployed but he's so far lucky to be alive. The impact alone could have killed him Noct." Noctis felt his heart drop into the pits of his stomach, unable to form any words and the color visibly leaving his face. His head dropped, black and grey bangs hiding his eyes. He wouldn't cry. Ignis would be alright, after all, the brunette had a stubborn streak that rivaled his, he would fight through it. He would make it through. He had to, he couldn't die before Noctis, it was bad manners. He felt himself snort at that thought. "Can I stay?" he felt himself ask but his tone clearly told his father he wasn't leaving. Ignis was his chamberlain. The man that helped him get through his depression from losing Luna back in Tenebrae. The man drove him nuts but he knew deep down, all those qualities were enough for him to know, that the sandy haired man had grown on him. He knew he was in for a long night, he sat down and placed his head into his hands, a headache coming on from the stress. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Several days later…

Ignis opened his eyes and found himself staring at a ceiling he didn't know. He smelled the disinfectant in the air. The sounds of the machine beeping was nothing like the alarm clock he had on his dresser. He also could tell by the brightness of the room that it was about noon. How long had he been asleep? What had happened? He closed his eyes and exhaled deeply as the memories began to flood back to him about the previous night's events. The car accident. The flip. The in and out of the Marshall's voice. He sighed as he wondered just how bad the extent of his injuries were.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," a voice called out to him from his right. He looked over to see the window drawn slightly, allowing the sunlight to enter the room and a familiar face sitting in the chair reading his usual novels. "Glad…" he tried to talk but his throat felt dry. Gladio got up, placed his book down and poured Ignis a cup of water. He inserted a straw and helped the man sit up to take a drink, "Try to take small sips. You've been hooked to an IV for four and a half days." Ignis' eyes went wide at this information. "How bad are my injuries?" Gladio chuckled, "Well you will be sore for the next few days, the doctors had to open you up to stop some internal bleeding by your heart. You had a concussion and even fractured your hands. A broken ankle and some dislocated joints. The docs patched you up as much as they could with surgery and elixirs. When they brought you in here though, it seems the rest of your healing was done by Noct. He harnessed the power of the crystal to heal the scars and fix all the bones. The problem was that you kinda fell into a coma." Ignis sat up, readjusting himself better to talk although Gladio was right about the soreness.

He also felt as if his chest was open and his heart was exposed, looking down at his clothing he saw he was not in hospital gowns but in his own personal pajamas. He looked at Gladio confused before the other man chuckled, "Noct's orders to the nurses when they bathed you." Ignis nodded, "My glasses?" Gladio handed the spectacles over to him. "And where is Noct? Is he alright?" Gladio nodded, "The crystal made his heart stop," Ignis' heart raced at the sentence, the machine going haywire as he was about to get out of the bed to find the prince, but Gladio's firm hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Easy there, let me finish. Thankfully, King Regis was here as well so he took care of Noct. A phoenix down was all it took. He's been skipping school to be by your side round the clock. Prompto and I had to take turns getting him to leave for at least an hour at a time. He even sleeps here. His Majesty has made it clear that you would be okay but that is not enough of a reassurance. He's gonna be so glad to see you are awake."

As if on cue, the door to the room opened and in the doorway was Prompto followed by the crown prince of Lucis. He had bags under his eyes and appeared to have aged by a couple of years. Ignis did not understand why he appeared older or it could have been the fact that Ignis faced death and was always seeing the young boy he met eleven years ago. "Ignis!" Prompto shouted as he ran over to his bedside, a smile on his face and tears in his eyes. "I am so happy you're awake. I almost thought we lost you for a second there." Ignis chuckled lightly, "I am afraid it will take more than a car accident to kill me. After all, our future king would be without an advisor if I were to kick the bucket as they say. Cannot have him leading Lucis without a sound mind at his side." The two at his side laughed at the joke, but Ignis noticed Noctis had yet to enter the room, "Prompto, Gladio, do you mind if I have a moment with Noct alone?" The two men had nodded and made their way to the exit but not before Gladio shoved Noctis into the room.

He looked at the floor as he made his way to the hospital bed. Ignis moved over and motioned for him to sit next to him on the bed. Noctis nodded and joined him. They sat there in silence, the only sounds they could hear besides their own heartbeats in their ears being the beeps of the heart monitor. "Thank you," Ignis began quietly. "Gladio told me what you did." Noctis felt his face turn red, nodding, "I just wanted to save you. I couldn't let you die." They sat in a mild comfortable silence. "What happened to the other driver?" Ignis asked quietly. He couldn't help but wonder what happened to the person that hit his car. Noctis growled at the question, "Sitting in a cell awaiting bail. Dad said to let the legal system do its job, rather than he show favor in the case and jump to the judgement and penalty for nearly killing the crown chamberlain." Ignis hummed at the decision made by the king. "I see," was all he could muster as an answer.

"I thought I lost you," Noctis said, his voice barely audible. "I wanted to tell you something for a while now but I didn't know how to word it so I had been a brat and kept lashing out at you. I was doing irresponsible things to get your attention completely focused on me when you have other responsibilities. I am so sorry," he said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Oh, and what is it that you wanted to tell me Noct?" Ignis asked, a hint of playfulness to his voice. This caused the raven haired man to blush. "Well, I…" he began but stopped to face the older male. Taking his hand, Noctis took a deep breath before trying to speak again, "I like you Ignis. Hell I am in love with you. I know you only see me as your ward and the future king of a nation. But with you, I can be myself, I can be one hundred percent stubborn and you have nothing but patience for me. I know you are doing your duty to the crown but I know the feelings I have for you run deeper than just some teenage crush. I'm not confused, heck this is the first time I have ever felt so clear about something like this." Ignis watched Noctis' face for any trace of a lie only to feel his heart pang with guilt at even slightly doubting the prince. He smiled at him, not saying anything immediately. It was silent for what felt like an eternity to Noctis before Ignis spoke, "I am so glad I am not the only one. I have been in love with you since we met eleven years ago. I've been in love with the little boy that I met in the rose gardens all those years ago. I have never let go of that torch for you, if anything, I have locked it away to fulfill my duties to you. So I don't face a conflict of emotions."

Noctis let out a laugh, "Should have ran in the opposite direction." Ignis smiled at the words, it was Noctis' way of joking with him. "You don't have to use your dry humor to hide your emotions from me. I am always going to be by your side, whether you marry in the future or whether you take the throne. I am yours." Noctis felt himself blush heavily now, his ears burning at the words that came from Ignis. He leaned in half way and closed his eyes, Ignis following his cue and meeting him the other half, connecting their lips in a chaste kiss. They both pulled away, as red as Lucian roses but calm. "So do you want to tell me why you look as though you have aged?" Ignis asked calmly. Noctis showed him a cheeky grin, "The crystal aged me by two years. I am no longer eighteen. Prompto is the baby through and through." Ignis nodded at the information, "So where does that leave us, Highness?" Noctis glared at him for the mention of his royal title but said nothing instead interlacing their fingers together. "I was hoping you would go to dinner with me after you get out of here." Ignis smiled, "Just dinner?" Noct blushed for what felt like the millionth time that day, "Well.. I want to make it official. Dad gave his blessing and they don't seem to mind either." Ignis smiled, "I'd like dinner. It's always a perfect way to end a traumatic experience." Noctis chuckled, "Nah, I'd say this is just the beginning of our relationship." Ignis nodded, a yawn escaping his lips. "You should rest," Noctis said as he tried to get up. However, he was stopped by Ignis, "Stay Noct." Noctis nodded and leaned in to kiss his forehead, "I'm here. Always."


End file.
